Paladins: Champions of the Realm is now in open beta on Xbox One and PlayStation 4, and to celebrate, the console war to end all console wars is taking place.

The most played new Steam game of 2016 is now free-to-play on both consoles, with Xbox and PlayStation gamers joining the 8.5 million PC players in one of gaming’s most popular and acclaimed multiplayer shooters.

There are 24 playable Champions in Paladins, each with customisable card loadouts so you can rejig a character’s defensive or offensive specialities.

So what’s the deal with this Xbox One vs PS4 ‘Console Wars’ tournament?

Put simply, it pits the best players on each console against each other in the ultimate battle for bragging rights. Players are also competing to win a trip to Valencia, Spain, where they can battle for a share in the $50,000 Paladins Console Wars at DreamHack Valencia 2017.

You can qualify for the tournament through open bracket qualifiers, which will be held starting May 20 through June 25. The top teams from North America and Europe will battle for their favourite console in the tournament.

Paladins is now available as a free download on both Xbox One and PlayStation. There’s a Founder’s Pack available for download, which will unlock every champion for $29.95 USD on PS4, and $26.95 USD on Xbox One.

Gaetano Prestia Editor in Chief

Gaetano loves Doritos and always orders Mountain Dew with his KFC. He's not sorry. He also likes Call Of Duty, but would much rather play Civ. He hates losing at FIFA, and his pet hate is people who recline their seat on short-haul flights.